Bloom to start therapy-based preschool group in Sioux Falls

A Sioux Falls child development center and indoor playground will soon offer a new program for young children.

Bloom will offer a weekly preschool therapy group Mondays beginning in September, owner Andrea Boerigter said. The group will meet at Bloom's location at 1608 S Western Ave.

"We wanted to kind of start small with our preschool, so we thought this would be a better opportunity for us to explore this option without investing in another property," Boerigter said.

The upcoming group meetings mean the play area will be closed Mondays, but it will still be open the remaining six days a week, Boerigter said.

The preschool is geared toward kids between 2 and 5 years old who have mild to moderate speech, language, social and feeding delays.

Many parents are interested in helping their kids learn those key skills before entering kindergarten, but many children don't quite qualify for the Sioux Falls School District's early childhood options for kids with disabilities, according to Boerigter.

"I always kind of think it's too bad that we don't have a program in town (for) these kids that have a little bit of a delay and catch them up real quickly before they get to school," she said.

Now, Boerigter is able to offer that program. A class for 2 and 3-year-olds will be held 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and an afternoon class will be held for 4 and 5-year-olds between 1 and 4 p.m.

During the three-hour class, kids will learn basic skills like matching items and packing backpacks and heading to school. Music and snack time are also included. The group will also offer one-on-one therapy for some children.

The weekly class is $45 per session, while the extra therapy is billed through insurance, Boerigter said. There is already a wait list for the morning class.

Boerigter hopes to eventually expand the preschool program, but is pleased with parents' early enthusiasm.

"I'm excited to see kids progress in an environment that was built for success," she said, adding that parents often worry about whether their child is ready for kindergarten.

"Here, nobody has to worry if their child is ready," she said. "We will help them make that transition into readiness."

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